Warriors edge Coventry after second-half fightback at Sixways

By Alex Didlick

It was a fierce battle at Sixways as Coventry opened their season against a resurgent Worcester Warriors. A game of two halves, Cov’s blistering first-half display had them firmly in control at the break. But the Warriors roared back with a second-half fightback to claim a dramatic 29-19 win. 

Riding the wave of a raucous Sixways crowd, Coventry dominated the opening exchanges. Their early dominance told in the 6^th minute after the pressure of repetitive mauls finally showed when Worcester’s Tim Anstee was shown a yellow card for collapsing the maul. From the next drive, Senitiki Nayalo forced his way over the line to give the visitors the start they deserved.

Despite being a man down, the Warriors struck back quickly. A slick move saw fly-half Will Reed score. Coventry didn’t do too much wrong in the move, but a couple of excellent passes and line breaks left the defence little chance. 

Unfazed, Coventry imposed themselves once again. In the 21^st minute, a stolen lineout on the Worcester 40 set the stage for an awesome backs running move with Peter Sullivan barrelling over in the corner. Just minutes later, Senitiki Nayalo turned provider with a deft pass for David Opoku-Fordjour to crash over and extend the lead to 19-7. 

Worcester was reeling from a couple of brilliant tries from Cov and it was their time to reply. They thought they had through Alfie Garside, only for a forward pass to cut celebrations short. A huge Coventry scrum on their own five-metre line then relieved the pressure. Minutes later and Cov were back under pressure again. However, Tom Ball’s crucial lineout steal closed out a near flawless first half for the visitors, who went in 19-7 up.

Josh Thomas got the second half underway, and it was almost a perfect start for Cov with an excellent restart plucked by Tom ball. Cov were just one pass from perfection as the ball was lost forward for a Warriors put in. 

That let Worcester off the hook, and they wasted little time in punishing Coventry. A sustained spell in the Cov 22 saw Tom Seabrook cut a sharp line and finish powerfully in the 47^th minute. Just three minutes later, Worcester struck again, Matt Kvesic driving over in the corner after a surging carry from Livai Natave. Suddenly, the hosts had pulled the game back level at 19-19, and momentum was firmly with them. 

With the match on a knife edge, Josh Barton provided some vital relief, shepherding a kick dead, setting up a Coventry scrum in prime position. But despite gaining field position, the Dogs couldn’t turn it into points. 

Coventry’s momentum was quelled mind you, and just moments later several phases deep in the Worcester 22 almost produced a score. Centre Oli Morris dove over, only for the referee to chalk it off for insufficient grounding. The Warriors had ridden their luck, a very unfortunate spell for the Dogs. 

The pressure kept mounting, and with just a few minutes to play, Worcester took the lead for the first time in the game. Will Reed, who had earlier pulled a similar kick wide, stepped up again and this time split the uprights to give the Warriors a 22-19 lead. With the game drifting out of Cov’s hands, Worcester struck the final blow. Ashley Challnger bundling over to seal the bonus-point win at 29-19. 

Coventry were left to reflect on what might have been. Their ferocious first-half display and resilience under pressure proved they can mix it with strong opposition. But a second half of misplaced passes and cruel luck left them short overall. Still, a fascinating start to the new season with a game that coaching staff will take a lot of positives from. 

Conversions:

Josh Thomas- 2/3

Will Reed- 3/5

Try scorers: 

Coventry Rugby- Senitiki Nayalo (8’), Peter Sullivan (21’), David Opoku-Fordjour (24’)

Worcester Warriors- Will Reed (10’) Tom Seabrook (47’), Matt kvesic (50’), Ashley Challenger (80+’)

Coventry Rugby: 

Toby Trinder, Jordon Poole ©, Matt Johnson, Jack Shine, Senitiki Nayalo, Dan Green, Tom Ball, Morgan Strong, Sam Maunder, Josh Thomas, Peter Sullivan, Morgan Adderly-Jones, Oli Morris, David Opoku-Fordjour, Tom Bacon

Finishers: 

Suva Ma’asi, Aristot Benz-Salomon, Eliot Salt, Alan Ferrie, Mackenzie Graham, Josh Barton, Tommy Mathews, Ewan Baker

Worcester Warriors

Billy Keast, Will Bigg, Tim Hoyt, Côme Joussain, Harvey Cuckson, Tim Anstee, Matt Kvesic, Matt Rogerson ©, Lloyd Williams, Will Reed, Alfie Garside, Bill Twelvetrees, Tom Seabrook, Roma Zheng, Louis Brown

Finishers:

Austin Wallis, Livai Natave, Ashley Challenger, Hallam Chapman, Thabo Ndimande, Jake Garside, James Short, Khalik Kareem